US Army Helping Fish Farmers in Iraq

IRAQ - A US army captain is using his angling experience to help the people of Iraq restart and improve fish farms along the Tigris River south of Baghdad.

Army Capt. Christopher Flores is a human resources manager and assistant to the 425th Soldier Battalion's commander and claims he got the fish farm job because of his angling knowledge, according to the Caller Times.

The fish farm area, known as the Sunni Bubble, had more than 2,000 fish farms before the war began, and many since had been abandoned or structurally damaged.

To date, he has been involved with 31 farming operations by helping farmers apply for and receive US grants. He meets with farmers, works with them through local agriculture unions, reviews and validates applications and forwards them up the chain for funding, the Caller says.

The maximum amount of $2,500 covers one year's worth of overhead, which includes pumps, nets, high-protein fish feed and fingerlings, mostly silver and common carp.